System of tunneling.



PATEN'IBD NOV. 14., 3.905.

J. W. SEE.

SYSTEM 0F TUNNELING.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE so, 1905.

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PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

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J. W. SEE. SYSTEM 0F TUNNELING.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE so, 1905.

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PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. SEE, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

SYSTEM OF TUNNELING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application led June 30,1905. Serial No. 267,727.

To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that l, JAMES WV. SEE, a citizen of the United States,residing .at Hamilton, vButler county, Ohio, v(post-oiiiice addressstruction in cities and will be readily understood from the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhichl Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a system oftunneling exemplifying my invention; and Fig. 2, a plan, part horizontalsection, of the same upon a reduced scale.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the pavement of a city street; 2, thesidewalk; 3, the main tunnel in process of construction; A, its roof; 5,its side walls; 6, the crown oi the main tunnel, comprising the entireroof portion between the tunnel-roof proper and the streetpavement; 7 asubtunnel disposed below the main tunnel; 8, a track in the subtunnel;9, a branch from the subtunnel; 10, an upcut from the branch subtunnelto the main tunnel; 11, an elevator in the upcut; 1Q, a housing over theupcut; 13, a track in the subtunnel branch 9 leading from track 8 to theupcut; 14, a construction-car; 15, a track in the main tunnel leadingfrom the upcut; 16, a track in the 4main tunnel leading from theneighborhood of the upcut to the heading of the main tunnel; 17, aturn-table at the j uncture of tracks 15 and 16; 18, a heading of themain tunnel; 19, intermediate columns in the main tunnel, and 2O analternative line for the branch tunnel leading from the subtunnel to theupcut.

Tn carrying out this system of tunneling the subtunnel, with its track,is first constructed and equipped complete. It should lead to the spoilheap. The branch tunnel 9 is then to be driven, after which the upcut iscarried up to a point sufficiently high above the intendedv floor-levelof the main tunnel, the branch and the upcut being lined complete andequipped for service as a lateral and Vertical branch ot' the subtunnel,the housing 12 serving to guard the upcut. A drift from the upcut isthen to be driven with its fioor at the level of the intended fioor ofthe main tunnel, this drift being transverse to the line of the maintunnel. The spoil from this transverse tunnel is to be disposed ofthrough the subtunnel. The drift is to be carried full height of themain tunnel and either completed or temporarily lined, the former beingpreferable. The completed drift should extend the full Width of the maintunnel, and when done it represents a short section of the complete maintunnel, and it presents two headings from which the driving of the maintunnel may be carried on, track 16 being extended as the work at theheading progresses. Having served it-s purpose, housing 12 may beremoved when the main tunnel is completed over the upcut. There may beadditional branches and upcul's from the subtunnel to permit the maintunnel to be worked from quite a number oi' headings at once. The sizesof the branch subtunnel and the upcut should be such as to permit theproper passage outward of the spoil and the proper passage inward of thematerial of construction for the main tunnel. The branch subtunnel maybe at right angles to the subtunnel, as at 9, or it may be a switchbranch, as at 20. In the construction of the main tunnel the crownmaterial of the street, together with all of its contained pipes,conduits, ac., should be properly supported temporarily until thetunnel-root` is constructed and provided with the overhead ramming totransfer the load of the street to the structural work ot the tunnel. Apreferable construction for the main tunnel comprises wall beams,roofbeams, walls, and roof-arches, and with this form it is preferredthat each panel of the main tunnel be completed in succession from thepoint of beginning at the upcut to points as close to the headings as isexpedient. If the main tunneling should encounter pipes, sewers, or thelike, which it must displace, substitutes for them may be built at thesides of the main tunnel or below, as indicated at 21.

It will be noted that the completed system involves the presence andcost ot' two tunnels instead of one, or, in other words, a subtunnel inaddition to the main tunnel. This might at first thought appear to be anengineering absurdity; but under the conditions contemplated by thesystem a proper analysis causes the absurdity to disappear. Underordinary circumstances a subway with a comparatively thin crown requiresto be constructed by the cut-and-cover system, and this involves dealingwith all of the pipes, conduits, Sac., finding their home immediatelybelow the street-surface, and many of these matters must be so dealtwith as to ICO IOS

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avoid the interruption of their service, calling often for a substituteconstruction, then a removal of the original construction, and then areplacing of it. Furthermore, the interruption to traliic, if permitted,is a serious annoyance, and if not permitted then the Work requires tobe done in non-traiiic periods under very expensive conditions. All ofthese matters taken together, as incident to the construction of thesubway, may exceed in cost that of a subway proper if itcould be drivenfrom headings. In other Words, the incidental expense may exceed themain expense.

By the compound system herein provided for the traiiic upon the streetis entirely undisturbed, and the work may be rapidly pushed day andnight by Working from any desired number of headings in the main tunnelat one time. Furthermore, the subtunnel may upon the completion of themain tunnel continue to serve useful purposes for the passage ofmaterial Whose transportation through the main tunnel is not desired.For instance, the main tunnel may be devoted to passenger transportationand the subtunnel may be devoted to freightage.

I claim as my invention- The improved method of tunneling consisting inconstructing a subtunnel below and continuous to the proposed maintunnel; constructing a branch from the suhtunnel; constructing an upcutleading from said branch to a point in or contiguous to the line of theproposed main tunnel; and constructing the main tunnel by the aid ofsaid upcut, said branch, and said subtunnel.

JAMES WT. SEE.

W'itnesses:

SAM. D. FITTON, Jr., M. S. BELDEN.

